The White Giraffe

Lauren St. John’s novel The White Giraffe tells the story of a young girl’s journey to find her way out of grief and develop her magical ability to heal animals. Set in the lush landscape of South Africa, St. John reveals the country to be a place rich in biodiversity and teeming with life. However, she does not shy away from discussing the country’s painful past and uses the character of Tendai to tell part of South Africa’s story. Though South Africa is no longer under the rule of an imperialist nation, just like Tendai’s scarred body, it still bears the scars of colonization, racial inequality, and brutal dehumanization.

The earliest known inhabitants of South Africa, hunter-gatherers called the San and Khoekhoe peoples, or “the Bushmen,” lived over 100,000 years ago and had rich cultures, thriving on the natural resources that the land offered. Europeans first made contact in South Africa in the 15th century when Portuguese explorers Bartholomew Dias and Vasco de Gama reached the southern tip of Africa. Although the Portuguese set up settlements in the area, the Dutch were the first Europeans to colonize South Africa and set up their trading post for the Dutch East India Company at the Cape of Good Hope. Dutch colonization brought an influx of white settlers to the area, which led to violent clashes with Indigenous peoples. The British took control of the country in 1806 as they sought to control a secure trading route to India. British officers introduced laws and policies that favored the white settlers and undermined the rights of Indigenous citizens, which included the separation of white and Black people in society. These laws became the foundation for the system of segregation that later would come to rule the land for decades.

The discovery of diamonds in the 19th century intensified the colonization of South Africa as laborers descended on the country to mine for gold and precious stones. Led by Hendrik Verwoed, the National Party ruled the country and created a system of racial segregation and separation called apartheid. Apartheid laws called for the separation of white and Black people in every aspect of life, and the laws led to unequal access to resources and fewer opportunities for Black citizens. As seen in Tendai’s fictional account, government officials enforced the apartheid laws through intimidation and brutality, which systematically dehumanized Black citizens. The system of apartheid continued to grow through the early part of the 20th century, but a growing resistance pushed back on the oppressive system. The African National Congress (ANC), led by Nelson Mandela, conducted protests and boycotts and encouraged other countries to pressure South Africa to discard the apartheid system. After years of fighting, including lengthy imprisonment for Mandela, South Africa held its first democratic elections in 1994, and Mandela became the country’s first Black president. Though South Africa holds free democratic elections, hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and became a part of the UN Security Council, the lasting effects of colonization and apartheid can still be seen today as the country searches to find solutions for generational poverty and racial strife. Mandela died in 2013, but his legacy of fighting for South African liberty lives on in his words, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others” (South Africa Government. “History: South African Government”).